Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

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willthrill81
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Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by willthrill81 »

SEE THE UPDATE HERE

Our family recently rented a 24' class C motor home to travel to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We owned a travel trailer for a few years and really enjoyed it, but we sold it years ago and no longer own a vehicle capable of towing anything. We loved the experience of traveling in the motor home with our small daughter. It was incredibly convenient to always have our kitchen, pantry, refrigerator, bed, bathroom, bed, daughter's stuff, etc.

We try to be very financially responsible and thought that going forward we would always 'rent our fun'. But given my career as a professor, I have a lot of free time in the summers for us to travel, and we plan on all of our pleasure trips for the next 5-7 years being on the road only (i.e. virtually no flying). After crunching the numbers many times, we believed that buying a gently used motor home a few years old in the range of $50k-$60k would enable us to at least break even compared to staying in hotels and likely save us some money. We are fully aware of the risks and maintenance involved with owning such a motor home. Partly for both of those reasons, we have been strongly attracted to the class B motor homes (i.e. van conversions) as they appear to be sturdier and less prone to the problems associated with class A and C motor homes. They also tend to be quieter while driving. Lastly, we could park a class B in our driveway without causing any problems in our HOA, but this isn't true of any other type of RV, and our garage is too small to house what we need. We aren't at all interested in having it stored off our property.

When we got home, we spent many hours researching RV Trader and other sites for motor homes across the country and were shocked at how little inventory there is. At one point, there were only four that we could find across the country that hit all of our criteria, one of which being the ability to sleep three people, which isn't common in the class B space (though it is possible and more common among B+ campers, which have a higher than factor roof and sometimes a wider than factory body). We visited four dealers in our area, and only two had any class B motor homes at all, all of which were $100k-$140k for new models only. The rest were completely sold out and only had about 30% of their normal inventory on hand at present.

I strongly considered buying an empty van, very preferably a Ford Transit 250 or 350 with an extended length and high roof, and fixing it up specifically for our needs myself. I'm handy and believe that I could do it well, but it would take a good 2-3 months, maybe longer, to do what we would want done. But even then, I've only found a very few such vans in our desired price range, age, and mileage across the country. And these are selling in a matter of days as well. I'm not going to buy a vehicle sight unseen, so I would have to fly to where such a van is located, take an Uber or Lyft to get to the van, have a mechanic inspect it, arrange payment (and few take certified checks anymore, and with good reason, so it's cash or a wire only at many places), and then drive it home. In other words, a royal pain in the aft end.

Consequently, we've pretty much decided to put the whole process on hold for now. We're concerned that there will be another flareup of the virus next summer that would greatly limit our ability to go anywhere, and we don't want to buy in such a ridiculously strong seller's market. We're thinking that it will likely be next year or later before we try to do anything.

Do you have any ideas about this?

What's the RV market like in your area?
Last edited by willthrill81 on Thu Feb 04, 2021 5:09 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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geerhardusvos
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by geerhardusvos »

willthrill81 wrote: Wed Jul 01, 2020 11:58 pm Our family recently rented a 24' class C motor home to travel to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We owned a travel trailer for a few years and really enjoyed it, but we sold it years ago and no longer own a vehicle capable of towing anything. We loved the experience of traveling in the motor home with our small daughter. It was incredibly convenient to always have our kitchen, pantry, refrigerator, bed, bathroom, bed, daughter's stuff, etc.

We try to be very financially responsible and thought that going forward we would always 'rent our fun'. But given my career as a professor, I have a lot of free time in the summers for us to travel, and we plan on all of our pleasure trips for the next 5-7 years being on the road only (i.e. virtually no flying). After crunching the numbers many times, we believed that buying a gently used motor home a few years old in the range of $50k-$60k would enable us to at least break even compared to staying in hotels and likely save us some money. We are fully aware of the risks and maintenance involved with owning such a motor home. Partly for both of those reasons, we have been strongly attracted to the class B motor homes (i.e. van conversions) as they appear to be sturdier and less prone to the problems associated with class A and C motor homes. They also tend to be quieter while driving. Lastly, we could park a class B in our driveway without causing any problems in our HOA, but this isn't true of any other type of RV, and our garage is too small to house what we need. We aren't at all interested in having it stored off our property.

When we got home, we spent many hours researching RV Trader and other sites for motor homes across the country and were shocked at how little inventory there is. At one point, there were only four that we could find across the country that hit all of our criteria, one of which being the ability to sleep three people, which isn't common in the class B space (though it is possible and more common among B+ campers, which have a higher than factor roof and sometimes a wider than factory body). We visited four dealers in our area, and only two had any class B motor homes at all, all of which were $100k-$140k for new models only. The rest were completely sold out and only had about 30% of their normal inventory on hand at present.

I strongly considered buying an empty van, very preferably a Ford Transit 250 or 350 with an extended length and high roof, and fixing it up specifically for our needs myself. I'm handy and believe that I could do it well, but it would take a good 2-3 months, maybe longer, to do what we would want done. But even then, I've only found a very few such vans in our desired price range, age, and mileage across the country. And these are selling in a matter of days as well. I'm not going to buy a vehicle sight unseen, so I would have to fly to where such a van is located, take an Uber or Lyft to get to the van, have a mechanic inspect it, arrange payment (and few take certified checks anymore, and with good reason, so it's cash or a wire only at many places), and then drive it home. In other words, a royal pain in the aft end.

Consequently, we've pretty much decided to put the whole process on hold for now. We're concerned that there will be another flareup of the virus next summer that would greatly limit our ability to go anywhere, and we don't want to buy in such a ridiculously strong seller's market. We're thinking that it will likely be next year or later before we try to do anything.

Do you have any ideas about this?

What's the RV market like in your area?
I have a few friends who are looking as well, and have made similar comments. Supply will pick up eventually, and demand will slowly normalize, so maybe try again when the nasty weather comes back in November, or maybe it won’t be till 2021 until you find something that’s a fit. Especially if you’re just starting to research, you will learn a lot between now and then I will help you with selection. Good luck, and sounds like owning one would add a lot of value to your life. The DIY route is interesting for customization, but the pre-built might be higher quality, and factoring in the time that you would spend building it, might just be worth finding an outfit that transforms the vans how you like
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iamlucky13
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by iamlucky13 »

I share the widespread suspicion that either next year, or maybe the year after, a lot of people who really aren't very seriously into RV ownership, but who were desperate to find new vacation options this year, will be selling RV's they are buying now but won't use very much.

Sounds like you're in the unlucky position of being someone with real long term interest, stuck shopping at the same time as unusual circumstances are driving unusual demand, and will likely find a much better deal if you can wait a year.
csm
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by csm »

Your idea is a good one - we are really enjoying traveling in a small motorhome particularly now as we can self-isolate, make all our own food, use our own bathroom / shower, etc.

Our B-van is actually our daily driver, since we needed to purchase a vehicle at the same time we were looking to start our RV journey. We have a Winnebago Travato on the Ram ProMaster (gas) chassis which is 20'9" long (about the same footprint as long-bed truck so fits in most normal parking spaces). There is a floorplan of the Travato (59G/GL) that sleeps three (couple plus small child) and includes a nice seating area behind the driver/passenger seat for the child and makes a dining area with the front seats swiveled around. But it would depend on how well you and your wife can sleep on the somewhat small mattress.

It does seem to be a seller's market right now, but there are rigs out there. If you are on Facebook, join the Travato Owner's and Wannabees FB group (over 10,000 members) and you will likely be able to find a gently used rig that would suit you - most sell them because they are upgrading to the latest and greatest version.

We bought our brand new 2019 model in summer 2018 for $78,500 (you should be able to buy at ca. 30% off MSRP for new), and your budget should allow you to get a 1-2 year old in your price range. We bought from Lewis RV in Dayton OH who were no-nonsense and fair (we live in Florida but it was worth it to travel to purchase it). Looking at their website as I write this, they have two used 59G models from 2018 that might suit you (call and ask Connie for their best out-the-door price). I was surprised to see almost no new inventory available (almost all sold / sale pending) because I looked for friends a couple months ago and there were 10-15 new units on their website from which to choose. So yes, seller's market and the demand has exploded.

There are a few other floorplans and options on the market that may suit your family - the Winnebago Solis has the pop-up top where kids can sleep, so insulation may be an issue and it has a cassette toilet rather than black tank. The Boldt sleeps 3 but is pricier and quite new, so you would not find a used rig in your price range. The Era also has a floorplan that sleeps 3. The latter two are on the Mercedes Sprinter (diesel) chassis).

Good luck and hope you find something that suits you. Otherwise, as suggested, you may have to wait a few months until demand has lulled a bit.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by IMO »

iamlucky13 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 12:32 am I share the widespread suspicion that either next year, or maybe the year after, a lot of people who really aren't very seriously into RV ownership, but who were desperate to find new vacation options this year, will be selling RV's they are buying now but won't use very much.

Sounds like you're in the unlucky position of being someone with real long term interest, stuck shopping at the same time as unusual circumstances are driving unusual demand, and will likely find a much better deal if you can wait a year.
I'd agree with this. So far this year, campgrounds and the lakes have been very crowded compared to other years. People want to do something, so an RV seems like a plausible option given many are opting to not fly for vacations this year. Will the interest continue past this year? What will be interesting is to see on the RV lifestyle is with the huge number of kids doing on-line school along with everyone working from home. Will people just travel more and more having their kids doing work from the RV year round?
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by smitcat »

The RV market has been consumed by the covid19 situation where we are in the NE. Any separate living quarters has been in huge demand and the RV's are seen parked everywhere solo and in groups. Now the situation appears to be much lower and the demand had fallen and the market completely stagnant. If it were us we would wait out the purchase since there is no compelling reason to have it at any one point in time.
T4fun
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by T4fun »

Many companies have rented RV's/travel trailers for possible quarantine events of critical employees. Those should hit the market in the future also. Some will be one year old and never used. The camper locations will have more than paid for the trailer via rent so may be some good deals at that time. I'd rent for now and keep watching the market until the right deal came along.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by BanquetBeer »

Isn't summer almost over now? What is the rush? Everything is scarce right now and all these deals everyone was projecting haven't panned out.

I was looking for an RV also because I grew up camping and now have been camping yearly with my first kid. I was told to go camping as a family *requires* ac.. lol. I am not opposed because in the south that would open the camping window beyond ~3 months/year

Vans are expensive. I am going for the cheapest route of a short tow behind bed/bath/kitchen that you can get new for ~$20-25k (goal to get it used). Like you said, those have been in short supply. But I am ok with that as traveling will be a higher risk than our current stay at home methodologies.

Cyber truck for $60k and camper for $15k = $75k < Car + camper van. Our trips are all nearby (not looking at cross country) and we are interested in a truck for household use as our extended families live in town and someone can always use a truck.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by tibbitts »

I was looking at RVs just before the virus hit, but not so much Bs, although I understand the appeal.

I have the same storage issue you do, worse actually. There is really no comparison between having to store an RV and having it at home - I've done both and having it at home is just so much better.

Have you considered buying a soft-side truck camper and a SRW truck and keeping the camper in your garage? I know, not super-convenient to get it into the garage. I assume it wouldn't be allowed outside. It would allow you to have 4x4, which as far as I know is only available on very high-end Bs. Pop-ups have more ceiling height than Bs; it would be nice to stand up without bumping into anything, and most Bs are only 6ft tall inside. On the other hand, utility while on the road is limited. But I believe handling, comfort, and safety while driving might be better than in a B, possibly at a similar price. An obvious downside for older people is the immense difficulty of entering and exiting almost any pop-up camper (a few used to have full-height doors but I'm not sure if any do now.)
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by stoptothink »

I know the price to rent one has gone through the roof. We rented one (class B) last summer for a week-long trip from an old friend. We considered it again for a trip this August, but she's now charging almost 3x what she was last year. We're going to take the car.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by bloom2708 »

RVs, campers, travel trailers are selling like wildfire in my area. (short summers)

Many campgrounds are only partially open. I looked at reservations and many places are booked up solid. That has been a trend for a while now.

Fewer campgrounds and steady or more people camping.

I would still like a 2020 Leisure Travel Vans Unity FX model though. Sweet ride. Or a nuCamp T@b 400 Boondock Lite teardrop.

I've found camper shopping is way more satisfying than camper buying. That trend holds with many things. Shopping > Buying/owning.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by tibbitts »

bloom2708 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:23 am RVs, campers, travel trailers are selling like wildfire in my area. (short summers)

Many campgrounds are only partially open. I looked at reservations and many places are booked up solid. That has been a trend for a while now.

Fewer campgrounds and steady or more people camping.

I would still like a 2020 Leisure Travel Vans Unity FX model though. Sweet ride. Or a nuCamp T@b 400 Boondock Lite teardrop.

I've found camper shopping is way more satisfying than camper buying. That trend holds with many things. Shopping > Buying/owning.
Not more satisfying any longer thanks to Covid-19.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by bloom2708 »

tibbitts wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:42 am
bloom2708 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:23 am RVs, campers, travel trailers are selling like wildfire in my area. (short summers)

Many campgrounds are only partially open. I looked at reservations and many places are booked up solid. That has been a trend for a while now.

Fewer campgrounds and steady or more people camping.

I would still like a 2020 Leisure Travel Vans Unity FX model though. Sweet ride. Or a nuCamp T@b 400 Boondock Lite teardrop.

I've found camper shopping is way more satisfying than camper buying. That trend holds with many things. Shopping > Buying/owning.
Not more satisfying any longer thanks to Covid-19.
I guess I should have said "online shopping" for campers. I like watching the reviews and walk thru videos on YouTube. :D

Covid safety zone at home. Knock on wood.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by David Jay »

iamlucky13 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 12:32 am I share the widespread suspicion that either next year, or maybe the year after, a lot of people who really aren't very seriously into RV ownership, but who were desperate to find new vacation options this year, will be selling RV's they are buying now but won't use very much.
Yup, I plan to “upgrade” in a couple of years when that supply of slightly used RVs comes onto the market.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by dsmclone »

I probably shouldn't even comment on this post because I just don't get why anyone would buy an RV unless they are retired and going on multi-month vacations.

Lets say I have 3 weeks a year where I can vacation:

In most places where I would want to park the RV, I can spend $150/night for an AirBNB that's going to be nicer than the RV I own. You're going to have a cost if you stay in a camp ground.

I have to find a place to put this RV the other 49 weeks a year.

I have to insure it

Depending on style, I may need something to pull it

Harder to drive than a typical vehicle. Worse gas mileage.

Don't feel like I can vacation anywhere where I can't drive because of this investment that I've made. Hard to justify a flight to San Diego when I have an RV sitting in my driveway.

Depreciating asset

The popular camp grounds seem to be sold out months sometimes years in advance


I don't get how someone that puts pen-to-paper can justify an RV. I'm probably missing something. Like I said, maybe I just don't understand the RV lifestyle.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by WoodSpinner »

Will,

It’s a crazy market even before Covid and now it’s a bit insane. I would second the idea of joining FB groups to look at owner’s experiences with different models. Plus you often can find out about potential sales before they hit RV Trader.

One aspect that hasn’t been mentioned yet is the insanity of the RV Repair business. Amazingly under staffed for current demand. Even when buying High quality builds (Pleasureway, LEisure Travel etc.) most of the components are stock (refrig, generators, hot water heaters etc.) that may not be as well built and have different warranties. Not unusual to have a 6 week waiting period to get a problem fixed — being handy can really help!

Lastly, remember most of the scummy used car salespeople have become RV salespeople. You really need to watch your back, look everything over twice, and be on your guard. There are some great RV sales operations out there — search them out and use their services when possible.

All that said, we love our Pleasureway but it really isn’t a great option for 3. Perfect for my wife and I though.

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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

geerhardusvos wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 12:20 am I have a few friends who are looking as well, and have made similar comments. Supply will pick up eventually, and demand will slowly normalize, so maybe try again when the nasty weather comes back in November, or maybe it won’t be till 2021 until you find something that’s a fit. Especially if you’re just starting to research, you will learn a lot between now and then I will help you with selection. Good luck, and sounds like owning one would add a lot of value to your life. The DIY route is interesting for customization, but the pre-built might be higher quality, and factoring in the time that you would spend building it, might just be worth finding an outfit that transforms the vans how you like
Yes, we know that it may be a couple of years before one comes available and that it may no longer be worthwhile at that point. Once our daughter turns about 12, we want to start doing overseas travel with her and probably wouldn't use an RV as much.

My wife is definitely concerned about the cost of a DIY job and the quality of the finished job, so that might nix that. We're also waiting to get confirmation from our HOA that we can park a pre-built class B in our driveway. I know that we could park a plain van that was DIY on the interior.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

iamlucky13 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 12:32 am I share the widespread suspicion that either next year, or maybe the year after, a lot of people who really aren't very seriously into RV ownership, but who were desperate to find new vacation options this year, will be selling RV's they are buying now but won't use very much.

Sounds like you're in the unlucky position of being someone with real long term interest, stuck shopping at the same time as unusual circumstances are driving unusual demand, and will likely find a much better deal if you can wait a year.
My wife thinks that demand will really slacken this fall, but I'm not so sure. I think that the influx of RV buyers will continue for another year. Some friends of ours bought a very used travel trailer locally this week, and they said that they are selling in a matter of hours, sometimes minutes.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by bighatnohorse »

There is a ton of RV inventory in Quartzsite, Arizona during January.
If you can get away over the Christmas New Years holidays it could be worth your while to go.
Thousands of snowbird rv'ers go there during the winter and there is a big RV show - dealers from the entire west coast attend and drive their inventory to sell. The dealers don't want to drive the unsold inventory back home and are are really motivated to sell.
Plus, the diversity of RV's for sale is amazing - you can see more different RV's in one place / one day than you can in three years of visiting dealers.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by tvubpwcisla »

Some positives would be:

- A small motor home is something you can keep for the rest of your life if you take good care of it.
- You can save thousands of dollars that you would have spent in hotel accommodations. Granted there will be maintenance on the RV but I think it would be less than hotels.
- You can enjoy beautiful scenery as you travel around. So much nicer than driving in a car or large SUV as your passengers can relax and be comfortable just about anywhere.
- You could almost look at it as if you are adding square footage to your existing home that could be setup nicely when family or friends come to town.

I don't think you would be making a mistake by purchasing a small motor home and in fact, would certainly enjoy it to the fullest!

Good luck!
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by Watty »

A few things that may not have been mentioned.

The low price of gasoline has also likely helped increase the demand for RV's and vehicles that are large enough to pull trailers even before the pandemic.

Some factories that build RVs may be shut down or running limited operations because of the pandemic, that may be limiting the supply of new ones. It is unrelated but I recently had to buy a new washing machine and many models were out of stock at multiple stores, likely because of disruptions in the supply chain. A week after I bought mine it was out of stock.

People have posted about how some state DMV offices are closed or running very limited operations because of the pandemic. If you will be buying an RV from an individual be sure to research the process you will need to go through to get the title and plates for it since it may take longer than normal.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

csm wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 1:38 am Your idea is a good one - we are really enjoying traveling in a small motorhome particularly now as we can self-isolate, make all our own food, use our own bathroom / shower, etc.
Yes, it's the perfect way to self-isolate while traveling, and it's incredibly convenient with a small child.
csm wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 1:38 amOur B-van is actually our daily driver, since we needed to purchase a vehicle at the same time we were looking to start our RV journey. We have a Winnebago Travato on the Ram ProMaster (gas) chassis which is 20'9" long (about the same footprint as long-bed truck so fits in most normal parking spaces). There is a floorplan of the Travato (59G/GL) that sleeps three (couple plus small child) and includes a nice seating area behind the driver/passenger seat for the child and makes a dining area with the front seats swiveled around. But it would depend on how well you and your wife can sleep on the somewhat small mattress.
The reason we want to park whatever we buy in our driveway is so we could use it as a second vehicle. We've only had one vehicle for the last two years, and it works well since my wife is a SAHM and my parents live very close, so we can use theirs if needed, but it would be very convenient.

We like the Travato 59G, but I'm 6'1", so we need a larger than full bed for me to be comfortable. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the Dodge chassis, but we would consider it if the deal was right.
csm wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 1:38 amIt does seem to be a seller's market right now, but there are rigs out there. If you are on Facebook, join the Travato Owner's and Wannabees FB group (over 10,000 members) and you will likely be able to find a gently used rig that would suit you - most sell them because they are upgrading to the latest and greatest version.

We bought our brand new 2019 model in summer 2018 for $78,500 (you should be able to buy at ca. 30% off MSRP for new), and your budget should allow you to get a 1-2 year old in your price range. We bought from Lewis RV in Dayton OH who were no-nonsense and fair (we live in Florida but it was worth it to travel to purchase it). Looking at their website as I write this, they have two used 59G models from 2018 that might suit you (call and ask Connie for their best out-the-door price). I was surprised to see almost no new inventory available (almost all sold / sale pending) because I looked for friends a couple months ago and there were 10-15 new units on their website from which to choose. So yes, seller's market and the demand has exploded.
Wow, I didn't know that it was a seller's market before all this COVID stuff exploded. That's not reassuring!
csm wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 1:38 amThere are a few other floorplans and options on the market that may suit your family - the Winnebago Solis has the pop-up top where kids can sleep, so insulation may be an issue and it has a cassette toilet rather than black tank. The Boldt sleeps 3 but is pricier and quite new, so you would not find a used rig in your price range. The Era also has a floorplan that sleeps 3. The latter two are on the Mercedes Sprinter (diesel) chassis).

Good luck and hope you find something that suits you. Otherwise, as suggested, you may have to wait a few months until demand has lulled a bit.
We've found a few floor plans that would meet all of our criteria. We definitely don't want a pop-up top, but I don't mind emptying a cassette toilet.

Thanks for the info. I'm increasing under the belief that we won't be able to get anything until the winter at least.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

IMO wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 2:28 am
iamlucky13 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 12:32 am I share the widespread suspicion that either next year, or maybe the year after, a lot of people who really aren't very seriously into RV ownership, but who were desperate to find new vacation options this year, will be selling RV's they are buying now but won't use very much.

Sounds like you're in the unlucky position of being someone with real long term interest, stuck shopping at the same time as unusual circumstances are driving unusual demand, and will likely find a much better deal if you can wait a year.
I'd agree with this. So far this year, campgrounds and the lakes have been very crowded compared to other years. People want to do something, so an RV seems like a plausible option given many are opting to not fly for vacations this year. Will the interest continue past this year? What will be interesting is to see on the RV lifestyle is with the huge number of kids doing on-line school along with everyone working from home. Will people just travel more and more having their kids doing work from the RV year round?
Without this turning into a COVID thread and getting locked, if a vaccine is never developed, which is very possible, I think that many older individuals in particular will prefer RVs over the alternatives for a long time, well beyond the time frame in which we need one.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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BanquetBeer wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 7:00 am Isn't summer almost over now? What is the rush? Everything is scarce right now and all these deals everyone was projecting haven't panned out.

I was looking for an RV also because I grew up camping and now have been camping yearly with my first kid. I was told to go camping as a family *requires* ac.. lol. I am not opposed because in the south that would open the camping window beyond ~3 months/year
My wife grew up RVing, and our attempt at camping with our daughter last year was a disaster, so it's an RV or bust for us.
BanquetBeer wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 7:00 amVans are expensive. I am going for the cheapest route of a short tow behind bed/bath/kitchen that you can get new for ~$20-25k (goal to get it used). Like you said, those have been in short supply. But I am ok with that as traveling will be a higher risk than our current stay at home methodologies.

Cyber truck for $60k and camper for $15k = $75k < Car + camper van. Our trips are all nearby (not looking at cross country) and we are interested in a truck for household use as our extended families live in town and someone can always use a truck.
If we still had a vehicle capable of pulling a travel trailer, we'd certainly go that route. But we don't and won't buy one specifically for that purpose.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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tibbitts wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 7:15 am Have you considered buying a soft-side truck camper and a SRW truck and keeping the camper in your garage? I know, not super-convenient to get it into the garage. I assume it wouldn't be allowed outside. It would allow you to have 4x4, which as far as I know is only available on very high-end Bs. Pop-ups have more ceiling height than Bs; it would be nice to stand up without bumping into anything, and most Bs are only 6ft tall inside. On the other hand, utility while on the road is limited. But I believe handling, comfort, and safety while driving might be better than in a B, possibly at a similar price. An obvious downside for older people is the immense difficulty of entering and exiting almost any pop-up camper (a few used to have full-height doors but I'm not sure if any do now.)
We don't want to buy a truck at all, so that's ruled out. Also, I'm 6'1" and don't think that I could stand up in any truck campers. But thanks for trying!

4x4 isn't a big deal for us. We like camping at campgrounds in the national and state parks, and none of those we've been too need 4x4. There are a few roads where it would help, but it's not a big deal if we can't do those.

As you note, utility on the road is best with a motor home, and for long road trips, that's a big deal for us right now.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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Since you mention traveling with a small child...

I don't believe any of the (really class C) B-style options have a child-seat-approved seat (other than front passenger seat) for that. Some true B's (entire van body, not cutaway chassis with fiberglass body) might; I think Midwest was one.

Side-facing seats should not be used while under way, even if they have a seat belt (side-forces in an impact).

If the child is old enough to not need a car seat, look for something with a dinette and approved seat belts where the kiddo will stay belted in while under way. Be aware this is only going to be a lap belt and will not offer the same protection as a shoulder belt.

We have an LTV Unity (MB Sprinter-based) and seat belts are one of the frequent questions young families ask about on almost a weekly basis on the LTV owner's page. They really aren't suitable for more than 2 human occupants while driving due to the lack of additional seat belts. You really cannot add seat belts (safely).

Also be aware of the very limited OCCC on a "B" chassis, especially if it has a slide.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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bloom2708 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:23 am I would still like a 2020 Leisure Travel Vans Unity FX model though. Sweet ride.
Those are AWESOME! We absolutely love the Unity MB with the slide and Murphy bed. It's a luxury condo on wheels, and everything I've heard says that those are the best built in-class rigs in the industry. However, the MB only sleeps two, and there isn't room for our daughter even sleeping on the floor without blocking the path to the bathroom. LTV does have a couple of models that would sleep three (or four). But the problems for us are (1) they hold their value so well that we would have to get at least a ten year old model with a lot of miles and without all the bells and whistles that we really like, (2) we're pretty sure that our HOA wouldn't let us park it in our driveway, (3) it's a big taller and wider than I'd prefer for navigating small roads in the national parks, but that's not a deal breaker at all.

We found a 2013 locally that sleeps on in the front and two on the back on the couch that converts to a full+ bed, but it was $78k, definitely more than we would like to spend.
bloom2708 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:23 amI've found camper shopping is way more satisfying than camper buying. That trend holds with many things. Shopping > Buying/owning.
To be honest, that's a factor for us as well. We tend to be minimalists in general, and owning something that needs as much maintenance as an RV (we know, we've owned a TT and know that a motor home will require at least double) does concern us more than a little.

You're right that it's fun to shop (and for me to dream about building one out, customizing it with things like a tank-less water heater, a bunk bed that our daughter would love, etc.), but owning one can be a different matter. At least we would have a high likelihood of getting nearly all of our money back if we didn't like it after a year, although paying almost 9% sales tax on one represents a significant guaranteed loss. :x
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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dsmclone wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:58 am I probably shouldn't even comment on this post because I just don't get why anyone would buy an RV unless they are retired and going on multi-month vacations.
You're exactly right. It doesn't make financial sense for travel up to at least a month out of the year unless you get a screaming good price on one, and that's almost impossible right now.

But we could travel for a good two months in the summer alone due to the nature of my work, plus long weekends in the spring and fall. At that point, the numbers definitely favor owning, but not by a huge margin. While we enjoyed renting, I was worried the whole time about damaging something, and when I barely grazed a McDonald's sign on the AC unit on top of the motor home, I nearly had a heart attack on the spot (it turned out to only be a few minor scratches, and the owners didn't care). Plus, it's virtually impossible in our area to rent a class B in our area that sleeps three.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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WoodSpinner wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 9:08 am Will,

It’s a crazy market even before Covid and now it’s a bit insane. I would second the idea of joining FB groups to look at owner’s experiences with different models. Plus you often can find out about potential sales before they hit RV Trader.

One aspect that hasn’t been mentioned yet is the insanity of the RV Repair business. Amazingly under staffed for current demand. Even when buying High quality builds (Pleasureway, LEisure Travel etc.) most of the components are stock (refrig, generators, hot water heaters etc.) that may not be as well built and have different warranties. Not unusual to have a 6 week waiting period to get a problem fixed — being handy can really help!

Lastly, remember most of the scummy used car salespeople have become RV salespeople. You really need to watch your back, look everything over twice, and be on your guard. There are some great RV sales operations out there — search them out and use their services when possible.

All that said, we love our Pleasureway but it really isn’t a great option for 3. Perfect for my wife and I though.

WoodSpinner
I completely get your point and have reiterated that to my DW many times. She would rather buy a pre-built motor home, and I would rather build out one from a van chassis myself. If I'm doing it, then I know where everything is, and while the finished product might not be quite as pretty as a pre-built unit, I can almost guarantee that it will be more resilient and durable. And lemon laws in most states don't apply to motor homes. I've heard horror stories about people buying very pricey RVs that then spent 1-2 months out of the year in the shop.

Both options have very real risks.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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bighatnohorse wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 9:31 am There is a ton of RV inventory in Quartzsite, Arizona during January.
If you can get away over the Christmas New Years holidays it could be worth your while to go.
Thousands of snowbird rv'ers go there during the winter and there is a big RV show - dealers from the entire west coast attend and drive their inventory to sell. The dealers don't want to drive the unsold inventory back home and are are really motivated to sell.
Plus, the diversity of RV's for sale is amazing - you can see more different RV's in one place / one day than you can in three years of visiting dealers.
I've heard that Quartzsite is like the Woodstock of the RV market, just as you say. Our problem is that we don't want to fly anywhere unless we are extremely confident that we'll buy, and we'd have to get used to stay within our price range, and I'm not even sure that we could find just want we want there.

We've created a mess for ourselves with strict criteria that eliminate at least 99% of the motor home inventory from consideration and desire to buy in the middle of possibly the biggest seller's market in decades. But we aren't that interested in buying if we won't get what we want.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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tvubpwcisla wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 9:31 am Some positives would be:

- A small motor home is something you can keep for the rest of your life if you take good care of it.
- You can save thousands of dollars that you would have spent in hotel accommodations. Granted there will be maintenance on the RV but I think it would be less than hotels.
- You can enjoy beautiful scenery as you travel around. So much nicer than driving in a car or large SUV as your passengers can relax and be comfortable just about anywhere.
- You could almost look at it as if you are adding square footage to your existing home that could be setup nicely when family or friends come to town.

I don't think you would be making a mistake by purchasing a small motor home and in fact, would certainly enjoy it to the fullest!

Good luck!
Our thoughts mirror yours. :beer
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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Class B’s have always been expensive and hard to find, even before COVID. The combination of COVID and low gas prices has made the problem worse.

One recommendation I would have is to forget van conversions, and look at the smaller class C motor homes. They are more plentiful, generally cheaper, especially used, and more functional than the vans. The main downside is that you’ll need a place to store them in between trips. Most places won’t just let you park them on the street for long periods of time.

We have an older Leisure Travel Vans Unity. Fantastic thing. We love it. We bought it new and spend about four months a year in it. But even the cheapest, oldest Unity is going to be out of your budget. If you can find one, an old LTV class B would be a good choice. Finding one, though, is going to be a challenge.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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Watty wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 9:36 am A few things that may not have been mentioned.

The low price of gasoline has also likely helped increase the demand for RV's and vehicles that are large enough to pull trailers even before the pandemic.

Some factories that build RVs may be shut down or running limited operations because of the pandemic, that may be limiting the supply of new ones. It is unrelated but I recently had to buy a new washing machine and many models were out of stock at multiple stores, likely because of disruptions in the supply chain. A week after I bought mine it was out of stock.

People have posted about how some state DMV offices are closed or running very limited operations because of the pandemic. If you will be buying an RV from an individual be sure to research the process you will need to go through to get the title and plates for it since it may take longer than normal.
Yes, manufacturers are running at reduced capacity, we've heard 50% or less, despite the incredible demand. The shortage isn't likely to end any time soon.

That's one of the many problems I see with traveling across the country to buy one from an individual. The more I think about it, the more that I don't want to have to fly to another state to buy one, even if it's exactly what we want. Too many risks and too much headache.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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willthrill81 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 9:48 am
tibbitts wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 7:15 am Have you considered buying a soft-side truck camper and a SRW truck and keeping the camper in your garage? I know, not super-convenient to get it into the garage. I assume it wouldn't be allowed outside. It would allow you to have 4x4, which as far as I know is only available on very high-end Bs. Pop-ups have more ceiling height than Bs; it would be nice to stand up without bumping into anything, and most Bs are only 6ft tall inside. On the other hand, utility while on the road is limited. But I believe handling, comfort, and safety while driving might be better than in a B, possibly at a similar price. An obvious downside for older people is the immense difficulty of entering and exiting almost any pop-up camper (a few used to have full-height doors but I'm not sure if any do now.)
We don't want to buy a truck at all, so that's ruled out. Also, I'm 6'1" and don't think that I could stand up in any truck campers. But thanks for trying!

4x4 isn't a big deal for us. We like camping at campgrounds in the national and state parks, and none of those we've been too need 4x4. There are a few roads where it would help, but it's not a big deal if we can't do those.

As you note, utility on the road is best with a motor home, and for long road trips, that's a big deal for us right now.
All the softside truck campers I know of are at least 6'5" inside. The 81" cargo height of the transit does allow taller interiors than traditional Bs. Although as far as I know all the Transit Bs are dual-rear-wheel trucks, they still look terrifying on the road in terms of stability.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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mkc wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 9:53 am Since you mention traveling with a small child...

I don't believe any of the (really class C) B-style options have a child-seat-approved seat (other than front passenger seat) for that. Some true B's (entire van body, not cutaway chassis with fiberglass body) might; I think Midwest was one.

Side-facing seats should not be used while under way, even if they have a seat belt (side-forces in an impact).

If the child is old enough to not need a car seat, look for something with a dinette and approved seat belts where the kiddo will stay belted in while under way. Be aware this is only going to be a lap belt and will not offer the same protection as a shoulder belt.

We have an LTV Unity (MB Sprinter-based) and seat belts are one of the frequent questions young families ask about on almost a weekly basis on the LTV owner's page. They really aren't suitable for more than 2 human occupants while driving due to the lack of additional seat belts. You really cannot add seat belts (safely).

Also be aware of the very limited OCCC on a "B" chassis, especially if it has a slide.
Thanks for the thought.

Our daughter now just needs a booster seat, and a lap belt is permissible for that purpose in every state that we would travel to, at least in a motor home, where seat belt laws are more lax.

I'm a bit envious of your LTV Unity MB. Once our daughter is grown, my wife and I think that we may buy one and travel a good 3-4 months out of the year in one.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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quantAndHold wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:11 am Class B’s have always been expensive and hard to find, even before COVID. The combination of COVID and low gas prices has made the problem worse.

One recommendation I would have is to forget van conversions, and look at the smaller class C motor homes. They are more plentiful, generally cheaper, especially used, and more functional than the vans. The main downside is that you’ll need a place to store them in between trips. Most places won’t just let you park them on the street for long periods of time.
We refuse to buy anything that we cannot store at our home, and a class C is not kosher with our HOA. :( Plus, they are taller and wider than I'd like for driving purposes.
quantAndHold wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:11 amWe have an older Leisure Travel Vans Unity. Fantastic thing. We love it. We bought it new and spend about four months a year in it. But even the cheapest, oldest Unity is going to be out of your budget. If you can find one, an old LTV class B would be a good choice. Finding one, though, is going to be a challenge.
Yes, the LTVs are just out of our price range and, again, are unlikely to be kosher with our HOA.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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tibbitts wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:14 am
willthrill81 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 9:48 am
tibbitts wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 7:15 am Have you considered buying a soft-side truck camper and a SRW truck and keeping the camper in your garage? I know, not super-convenient to get it into the garage. I assume it wouldn't be allowed outside. It would allow you to have 4x4, which as far as I know is only available on very high-end Bs. Pop-ups have more ceiling height than Bs; it would be nice to stand up without bumping into anything, and most Bs are only 6ft tall inside. On the other hand, utility while on the road is limited. But I believe handling, comfort, and safety while driving might be better than in a B, possibly at a similar price. An obvious downside for older people is the immense difficulty of entering and exiting almost any pop-up camper (a few used to have full-height doors but I'm not sure if any do now.)
We don't want to buy a truck at all, so that's ruled out. Also, I'm 6'1" and don't think that I could stand up in any truck campers. But thanks for trying!

4x4 isn't a big deal for us. We like camping at campgrounds in the national and state parks, and none of those we've been too need 4x4. There are a few roads where it would help, but it's not a big deal if we can't do those.

As you note, utility on the road is best with a motor home, and for long road trips, that's a big deal for us right now.
All the softside truck campers I know of are at least 6'5" inside. The 81" cargo height of the transit does allow taller interiors than traditional Bs. Although as far as I know all the Transit Bs are dual-rear-wheel trucks, they still look terrifying on the road in terms of stability.
Wow, I wouldn't have thought of that.

At least a couple of manufacturers are starting to build class Bs on the Ford Transit chassis. I don't think that they would be less stable than a class C like the one we rented due to the Bs being shorter. Driving through Montana in high winds, there were a couple of white knuckle moments when a huge gust really made me grip the steering wheel.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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I'm puzzled that these motorhomes can't easily sleep at least 3 -- especially if one of those is a child. When I was a kid my family had a non-pop-top VW camper that slept 5 inside -- two parents and three kids ages 3-9, plus two older kids in a tent outside -- so 7 inside the bus on the road. Yes, that was pretty tight, but modern Class B units are a lot larger and you're only looking for sleeping space for 3. Are they really that limited in their design? Surely someone out there designs interior spaces more creatively? Most small camping trailer including pop-ups like the Aliner classic will easily sleep 3 or 4 -- and they're smaller than Class B motor homes.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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willthrill81 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:21 am
quantAndHold wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:11 am Class B’s have always been expensive and hard to find, even before COVID. The combination of COVID and low gas prices has made the problem worse.

One recommendation I would have is to forget van conversions, and look at the smaller class C motor homes. They are more plentiful, generally cheaper, especially used, and more functional than the vans. The main downside is that you’ll need a place to store them in between trips. Most places won’t just let you park them on the street for long periods of time.
We refuse to buy anything that we cannot store at our home, and a class C is not kosher with our HOA. :( Plus, they are taller and wider than I'd like for driving purposes.
quantAndHold wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:11 amWe have an older Leisure Travel Vans Unity. Fantastic thing. We love it. We bought it new and spend about four months a year in it. But even the cheapest, oldest Unity is going to be out of your budget. If you can find one, an old LTV class B would be a good choice. Finding one, though, is going to be a challenge.
Yes, the LTVs are just out of our price range and, again, are unlikely to be kosher with our HOA.
Yeah, we have a friend in the same situation about the HOA. They want very badly to buy a LTV Wonder, but it won’t fly with their HOA. We were able to pour a concrete pad in our backyard to park the thing. Very convenient, and it doubles as a guest house. But the pad added about $25k to the overall cost. Before we got the parking pad finished, we rented space in a friend of a friend’s backyard for $75/month. Much less convenient. If we had to pay for monthly storage, I don’t think we’d keep it.

As far as driving, those “B+” rigs don’t drive much differently than a van. We take ours all over the place, on pavement and dirt roads. The main difference is that it’s 25 feet long, so takes 2 parking spaces end to end to park it when we go into a town.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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jucor wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:28 am I'm puzzled that these motorhomes can't easily sleep at least 3 -- especially if one of those is a child. When I was a kid my family had a non-pop-top VW camper that slept 5 inside -- two parents and three kids ages 3-9, plus two older kids in a tent outside -- so 7 inside the bus on the road. Yes, that was pretty tight, but modern Class B units are a lot larger and you're only looking for sleeping space for 3. Are they really that limited in their design? Surely someone out there designs interior spaces more creatively? Most small camping trailer including pop-ups like the Aliner classic will easily sleep 3 or 4 -- and they're smaller than Class B motor homes.
Most B and “B+” RV’s are designed for the luxury retiree market, who usually don’t travel with kids. Nowadays, families with kids get pickup trucks and trailers.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by ad2007 »

I can tell just from what my neighbors are doing that RVs are selling like crazy right now. That might explain what you're seeing. We retired last year and went RV shopping. There were plenty of inventory then. We've decided against getting one for now since the kids really do not enjoy the outdoors - crazy kids.

The van might be a good way to go. I'm currently looking at getting a MB Sprinter or Ford Transit and doing the conversion myself. Looking for a project to be honest. And once the kids are off to college, a van will be great for just the two of us.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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quantAndHold wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:39 am
jucor wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:28 am I'm puzzled that these motorhomes can't easily sleep at least 3 -- especially if one of those is a child. When I was a kid my family had a non-pop-top VW camper that slept 5 inside -- two parents and three kids ages 3-9, plus two older kids in a tent outside -- so 7 inside the bus on the road. Yes, that was pretty tight, but modern Class B units are a lot larger and you're only looking for sleeping space for 3. Are they really that limited in their design? Surely someone out there designs interior spaces more creatively? Most small camping trailer including pop-ups like the Aliner classic will easily sleep 3 or 4 -- and they're smaller than Class B motor homes.
Most B and “B+” RV’s are designed for the luxury retiree market, who usually don’t travel with kids. Nowadays, families with kids get pickup trucks and trailers.
You're absolutely right. To sleep even four, you're giving up on must have amenities, or upping your size/costs.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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My parents bought their motorhome from MHSRV, a huge no nonsense Texas dealer with huge discounts.

https://www.mhsrv.com/

Personally we are considering a Class C. The B class is just a little too small for us to enjoy.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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willthrill81 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:02 am
dsmclone wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:58 am I probably shouldn't even comment on this post because I just don't get why anyone would buy an RV unless they are retired and going on multi-month vacations.
You're exactly right. It doesn't make financial sense for travel up to at least a month out of the year unless you get a screaming good price on one, and that's almost impossible right now.
The other justification would be if you have a specific reason not to want to stay in a hotel. Personally, for most of the places I want to travel, while I could stay in a hotel near many of them, and drive back and forth daily, I'd rather just be right there outdoors (especially first thing in the morning), and there are some places I'd like to go where a hotel simply wouldn't be practical.

I'm more than happy to just tent camp. My wife, however, seems like she is starting to want more of the basic comforts of home brought along. I suspect at some point in the future she'll dictate that my options are buying or renting an RV (most likely a small trailer in my case), or going without her.

I guess I'm wandering off on a tangent from what willthrill is focused on, though.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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dupli


:mrgreen:
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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Get Your "Rv"
Enjoy,
A few nights last week
Blue Ridge Parkway
:mrgreen:

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"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
bloom2708
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by bloom2708 »

willthrill81 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 9:58 am Those are AWESOME! We absolutely love the Unity MB with the slide and Murphy bed. It's a luxury condo on wheels, and everything I've heard says that those are the best built in-class rigs in the industry. However, the MB only sleeps two, and there isn't room for our daughter even sleeping on the floor without blocking the path to the bathroom. LTV does have a couple of models that would sleep three (or four). But the problems for us are (1) they hold their value so well that we would have to get at least a ten year old model with a lot of miles and without all the bells and whistles that we really like, (2) we're pretty sure that our HOA wouldn't let us park it in our driveway, (3) it's a big taller and wider than I'd prefer for navigating small roads in the national parks, but that's not a deal breaker at all.
The Unity FX has the second lounge area in the rear and that makes a bed. Would be perfect for one child sleeping. We have 2 older kids and a "gap" kid. RVing for 3 would work in an FX. In the nuCamp T@b 400 the table makes a bed. Not ideal, but it could work.

Yes, very expensive and completely over the top. But beautifully designed and they make use of every inch.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

quantAndHold wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:39 am
jucor wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:28 am I'm puzzled that these motorhomes can't easily sleep at least 3 -- especially if one of those is a child. When I was a kid my family had a non-pop-top VW camper that slept 5 inside -- two parents and three kids ages 3-9, plus two older kids in a tent outside -- so 7 inside the bus on the road. Yes, that was pretty tight, but modern Class B units are a lot larger and you're only looking for sleeping space for 3. Are they really that limited in their design? Surely someone out there designs interior spaces more creatively? Most small camping trailer including pop-ups like the Aliner classic will easily sleep 3 or 4 -- and they're smaller than Class B motor homes.
Most B and “B+” RV’s are designed for the luxury retiree market, who usually don’t travel with kids. Nowadays, families with kids get pickup trucks and trailers.
Precisely. The target market is very different.

And it costs more to build a class B than a C. With the latter, the manufacturers just buy a 'blank' chassis and put a 'box' on the back (this is a simplification, but not much). With a B, there is far more labor involved, and they're working in tighter spaces, which slows down the process.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by mkc »

jucor wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:28 am I'm puzzled that these motorhomes can't easily sleep at least 3 -- especially if one of those is a child. When I was a kid my family had a non-pop-top VW camper that slept 5 inside
Did that VW have a 3/4 bath (toilet, sink, shower) and a kitchen (fridge, micro, sink, pantry)?

Even a true "B" (where everything is fabricated inside the OEM van "shell") is configured like a small, self-contained apartment with all of the above.

BTW "B+" is just a marketing term and not an "official" RV class. It's generally taken to mean a small van-front-end, added fiberglass body, typically built on a Sprinter or Ford Transit chassis, but in industry terms it's really a C. So the LTV Unity and Wonder are class C's. The old LTV Free Spirit was and several of the current PleasureWay offerings are a class B. (those two manufacturers are far and away the best quality ones you can find)
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

iamlucky13 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:55 am
willthrill81 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:02 am
dsmclone wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:58 am I probably shouldn't even comment on this post because I just don't get why anyone would buy an RV unless they are retired and going on multi-month vacations.
You're exactly right. It doesn't make financial sense for travel up to at least a month out of the year unless you get a screaming good price on one, and that's almost impossible right now.
The other justification would be if you have a specific reason not to want to stay in a hotel. Personally, for most of the places I want to travel, while I could stay in a hotel near many of them, and drive back and forth daily, I'd rather just be right there outdoors (especially first thing in the morning), and there are some places I'd like to go where a hotel simply wouldn't be practical.

I'm more than happy to just tent camp. My wife, however, seems like she is starting to want more of the basic comforts of home brought along. I suspect at some point in the future she'll dictate that my options are buying or renting an RV (most likely a small trailer in my case), or going without her.

I guess I'm wandering off on a tangent from what willthrill is focused on, though.
We like hotels, but we don't like constantly moving from one to another. And in many of the places we like to visit, like national parks, there are very few hotel options at all or else they are crazy expensive. When we priced out hotels for our recent trip to Yellowstone, the cheapest room we could find was over $300/night (Holiday Inn Express), and it would have resulted in us driving even more due to having to drive into and back out of the park every day vs. staying in a campground inside the park.

I'd be fine tenting, but my wife and daughter aren't.
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